I guess it may be a little silly to be asking such a grade school
question in the face of the incredible challenges facing everyone who
has to deal with what Katrina left behind, but I have not so far found a
clear answer in the reading I've been doing.  What exactly is a "storm
surge?"  I realize it's a rapid rising of water, but what causes it?  Is
it the water being piled up by a hurricane's winds?  Is it a bunch of
big waves that come ashore or just a steady rise of water, like a flood
tide run amok?

I'm curious because in the photos of marinas and waterfronts, a lot of
the boats on shore appear relatively undamaged.  I know photos make
things look better than they are, and the relatively wide or aerial
shots don't show any details.  But instead of the splintered, smashed
hulks one might expect as a result of a boat being beaten up onto the
land by wind, many of these boats look like they were simply lifted,
moved, and then set down.  Since the boats often appear to be sitting on
top of building debris, it makes me wonder if the storm surge comes
after the worst of the wind?

Anyone willing to explain what happens can contact me directly if they
like rather than take up space on the list.  Thanks.

C. Marin Faure
GB36-403 "La Perouse"
Bellingham, Washington

Storm surge is pretty much as you described it in your question.
Simplifiyed, it is a wall of water pushed ahead of the Hurricane winds.  The
water will begin to rise well ahead of the storm with the greatest surge
arriving just ahead of the Eyewall of the storm.

Jim Alexander

Storm surge is only one of the physical oceanographic effects thatt are
misunderstood by the public
Take a look at this site for a good explanation

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/storm_surge.shtml

John Mcdonald in his book Condominium served the public poorly when he
wanted to make his point that the SW Florida area is suseptible to
catistiphic storm surge damage. He descibes the incoming wave as 30 ? 50
foor high wall of water like the tidal bore in the Bay of Fundy. Under
normal conditions storm surge comes in like a fast rising tide. The big
damage is due to the storm waves now impinging on houses and streets rather
than beaches and seawalls. Shallow offshore conditions can cause the wave to
steepen into a bore as the surge comes ashore but it is a secondary effect.

There is a combination of effects that are detailed in the attached link.

If anyone wants more discussion please let me know. I am not an expert in
storm surges but I do have some physical oceanography training.

Greg Han